


The Garden Where Magic Blooms

by RinChanSanMatsuoka



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Awkwardness, First Meetings, M/M, Magic, Makoto Birthday Fanworks Exchange, Pre-Relationship, normal human Rin, plant witch Makoto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 20:12:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8591932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinChanSanMatsuoka/pseuds/RinChanSanMatsuoka
Summary: Modern Magic AU.  Party favor fill for Makoto's Birthday Exchange 2016!~~A dare brings Rin into a world he never knew existed.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doublelead](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doublelead/gifts).



> I hope you like this! I saw your modern magic makorin prompt and fell in love with it so I wanted to write you a bonus fill!

The garden at the house at the end of the street looked small and compact from the outside.  It started at the side of the house, crowding into all available space and encompassing much of the backyard, at least from what Rin could see.  It had always looked like an average garden, growing mostly vegetables and tended to by the nicest man anyone had ever met.

To anyone else, the garden was nothing of interest, just a hobby of the green-eyed man who lived there.  But Rin wasn’t so sure if it was that simple.  After all, Nagisa had sworn up and down that he had seen the man carrying a basket of the biggest tomatoes he had ever seen and while Nagisa loved to tell tall tales, he was never one to lie about things that existed in their area.

So, Rin, having been talking about it again one night with Sousuke and Nagisa after an intense study session for exams, accepted Sousuke’s dare to sneak into the garden and bring back one of the large vegetables.  Nagisa insisted that they weren’t a joke and while Rin and Sousuke still doubted him, Rin decided to bring something back as proof of their existence.

Grumbling a bit to himself as he made the trek down the street to the house, Rin surveyed the fence, trying to find a way in.  It wasn’t very tall, so he supposed that he could just haul himself over it.

“Rin, hurry up,” Sousuke hissed from behind him, peeking out from around a wall a few houses down.  Nagisa stuck his head out as well, making a shooing motion with his hands to encourage Rin to get on with it.

Rolling his eyes, Rin went over to the fence, grabbed the top of it and hoisted himself over.  As he hauled himself over the top, he thanked himself for making sure to never skip arm day.

There was a patch of empty dirt by the fence, which Rin was glad for because he really didn’t feel like trampling all over this guy’s plants.  He was nice as all hell and Rin was just here on a stupid dare to steal a tomato, not to ruin someone’s garden.

Once he landed on the soft earth, he took a moment to get his bearings, trying to find the nearest plant he could grab something off of.  Squinting in the low light from the moon, he debated on pulling out his phone, wondering if the light would draw too much attention.  “Fuck it, I’d rather not stumble around in the dark,” Rin muttered to himself, digging through his pockets and grabbing his phone.  After fiddling with it for a moment, he turned on the flashlight app so he could see his surroundings.

Tall rows of plants lined the yard, which seemed to be much bigger on the inside that it appeared to be from outside.  Maybe it was just a trick of perspective or maybe it was because it was dark, but it seemed to stretch on forever.  Rin pushed the thought aside, certain he was just seeing things, and began walking through the rows.

Tomatoes, peppers, green beans, even corn was growing in the yard and Rin let out a soft whistle as his flashlight illuminated each of the plants.  They were all taller than him, and while he was the furthest thing from an agricultural expert, he was fairly certain that some of these plants didn’t grow to be that large.

Deciding to grab the closest thing he could, Rin yanked a tomato off the vine.  It was larger than his hand, weighing heavily in his palm.  Letting out another impressed whistle, he turned back to the fence, only to find himself staring at more rows of plants.

Hadn’t he just come from that direction?  He knew that he hadn’t walked very far, so why couldn’t he see the fence anymore?  Shining his flashlight around, Rin chewed on his bottom lip, wondering if maybe he had wandered farther than he’d realized.

Rin set off in the direction he had come from, sure that if he kept walking, he would find the fence.

After five minutes of moving through rows of plants, Rin cursed and kicked at the dirt.  “Where the hell is that fence?”  Getting trapped in someone’s yard was not exactly his idea of a good time.  All he wanted to do was go home and pretend like all of this was a dumb dream and that he hadn’t taken Sousuke’s dare to break into a yard that was clearly haunted or something.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked the air, hoping that maybe if he voiced his problem out loud it would fix itself.  All he got in response was the chirping of crickets and that was far from helpful.

Not knowing what else to do, Rin turned to look at the house.  Maybe he could ask for help… No, that would mean admitting he broke into the man’s yard on a stupid dare.  He couldn’t do that, because then he’d never be able to show his face around the man again.  Or worse, what if he called the police?  That was something Rin _really_ didn’t want to deal with.

So, all he could do was continue to look for the fence.

* * *

Searching for the fence proved to be fruitless after he wandered around for ten more minutes with nothing to show for it.  “Dammit,” he said, flopping down onto the ground.  “I’m going to die in here, aren’t I?”

Okay, so maybe he was just being dramatic now but really, who had a yard like this?  Why did it feel like he was stuck in a maze that had no entrance or exit? 

After a few minutes of sulking on the ground, Rin got up, forcing himself to keep moving.  If he just kept walking, he would find the fence.  He _had_ to find the fence eventually.  It couldn't have just vanished but so far nothing in this yard seemed to make any sense.

Pushing through more rows of tomato plants, Rin stepped out into a small open area of the yard.  The food garden had ended and he was greeted with masses of rose bushes and pots of flowers, all growing large and beautiful.  In the middle of the clearing was a small bench and Rin went over to it, sitting down to rest.

After a moment’s rest, Rin looked around, spotting the fence past a cluster of rose bushes.  While it wasn’t the way he had entered the yard, he had finally found the exit.  Grinning, he jumped to his feet and hurried over to the bushes, trying to find a way to get past them without injuring himself too much.

Just as he was about to push his way through, the sound of a door opening stopped him dead in his tracks.  Turning to look behind him, Rin saw the back door to the house was open, light from inside spilling out into the yard.  In the doorway stood the owner of the house, and while his face was hidden in shadow, his posture was anything but threatening.

“Are you alright?  And I don’t think exiting through the rose bushes would be a good idea,” he said, walking out into the yard and over to Rin.

Unsure of what to do, Rin stood still, staring at the man with wide eyes.  He’d been caught red handed, still holding the tomato he’d stolen.  Even if he hadn’t had the fruit, he was still skulking around someone else’s yard.

“I’m… I’m sorry, look, I really didn’t mean to break into your yard, it was a stupid dare and then I got lost, I swear I didn’t do anything except take this,” Rin babbled, holding out the tomato as he frantically tried to come up with excuses and found that he had none.

The man stared at him for a moment before starting to laugh softly.  From the glow of his flashlight, Rin could see the man’s eyes crinkle in mirth.  It wasn’t a cruel laugh and Rin was surprised when the man apologized while trying to stifle his giggles.

Composing himself, the man pushed the tomato back towards Rin.  “You can keep it.  As you probably saw, I have plenty of them.”

“Oh.”  Rin couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he just held the tomato close to himself.

“I forgot to put warding spells up tonight and I’m really sorry you had to wander around for so long before I realized you were there!  I would have come to guide you out much earlier!” The man said, looking genuinely upset for causing Rin distress.

Rin was surprised by the reaction, since he was sure that the man would be angry.  Instead, he was being apologized to over something that had been his own fault.  “It’s fine, really!  Don’t worry about it, honestly, it was my fault for even breaking into your yard!” he said, trying to put the blame back on himself before he realized what the man had said.  “Wait, warding spells?”

“Ah, I suppose it might be easier to show you during the day.  If you come back tomorrow, I can show you what I mean.”  The man smiled at him and his request surprised Rin.  He really wanted someone who had broken into his yard to come back again?

“I… Okay, sure.  Only if you promise it’ll explain why your yard is so confusing.”  Rin couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his face.  There was something about the man that was just calming and despite all the weird stuff that had happened tonight, Rin was sure this man wasn’t dangerous.  “Oh, um, I’m Rin Matsuoka by the way.  I live a few houses down with some friends.”

The man’s smile widened and he bowed slightly.  “It’s nice to meet you, Rin.  I’m Makoto Tachibana.  And I know exactly which house you’re talking about.  Nagisa really likes to tell stories, doesn’t he?”

“Ah, yeah, he does,” Rin admitted with a soft laugh.  When Makoto beckoned him to follow him into the house, he did so without question, still smiling slightly.

Makoto led him through the house, which seemed to be filled with plants as well, to the front door, opening it for Rin.  “I really hope you’ll come back tomorrow,” he said. “I’d hate for you to think my garden was dangerous or anything.  I’d rather people not be afraid of me.”  Rubbing the back of his neck, Makoto gave him a sheepish look.

Rin’s eyes widened slightly, wondering how anyone could be afraid of someone like Makoto, who was this damn nice to someone trespassing in his yard in the middle of the night.  “Ah, yeah, I’ll come back.  And don’t worry, I’m not going to go spreading rumors about your house or anything.  I think there’s enough of those going around, especially with Nagisa’s big mouth.”  He laughed at that, trying to put Makoto at ease as he stepped out onto the porch.  Seeing him upset made him feel _bad_ , as though he had just insulted the man’s mother or something.  “So, I guess you’ll show me your big plants tomorrow?”

A relieved laugh left Makoto’s lips and he nodded.  “Yes, that sounds wonderful.  I’ll make tea for us as well.  Unless you prefer coffee?”

“Tea is fine.  I’ll see you then?”  Rin took a step back, not wanting to end the conversation just yet but knowing he needed to get home.

“I’ll see you then.”  With one last smile, Makoto gave him a small wave and shut the door.

* * *

The tomato sat on Rin’s kitchen table the next morning, looking just as big as it had the night before.  Compared to tomatoes he usually bought, this one was a giant.  Nagisa and Sousuke had been impressed, though worried because he had taken so long.  Rin had tried to assuage their worry, though he wasn’t sure they bought the excuse that he had simply gotten distracted by all the plants.

Rin sighed and poked at the tomato, debating on what time he should head over to Makoto’s house.  He didn’t want to arrive too early and seem overeager but he also didn’t want to keep the other man waiting.

Minutes seemed to drag by as Rin debated with himself before he finally got up.  “I’m heading out for a bit.  Tell Nagisa if he gets home before me,” he called to Sousuke, who simply gave him a grunt of acknowledgement from the couch.

Rolling his eyes, Rin stepped out of the house and headed up the street to Makoto’s.  It looked exactly like it usually did and when he glanced into the yard from the outside, it seemed as small as ever.  Hopefully, Makoto’s explanations would make sense, even though Rin was really doubtful that magic was at work here.

He had been thinking about what Makoto had said, finding that it only added to his confusion.  Warding spells?  What was that about?  Sure, he had heard the stories about witches living among the regular population but they were just stories, right?  No one had ever seen a witch, at least no one that he knew.

Shaking his head, Rin made his way over to the front door, stepping over a white cat that was napping in a patch on sunlight on the porch.  It paid him no mind other than a quick flick of its ears before it settled down again.

The urge to pet it arose in Rin but he really didn’t feel like getting scratched by the cat for interrupting its nap.  Deciding that he would try to pet it later once it was awake, Rin turned to the door and knocked.

He didn’t have to wait long before Makoto answered the door, a bright smile on his face.  “Rin!  You really came!”

“You didn’t think I’d come?” Rin asked, stepping inside when Makoto gestured for him to come in.  He went to remove his shoes but Makoto stopped him.

“It’s alright, we’ll be going straight to the yard anyway.  And I was worried you’d just think I was strange or something… I can’t imagine that your experience last night was very pleasant, after all,” Makoto said, leading Rin through his house.  He paused in the kitchen, grabbing two mugs of tea before heading to the back door.

Rin followed, taking in all the plants that he had seen last night.  There were more flowers, as well as succulents and what appeared to be herbs.  Despite all the different plants, the smell inside the house was mild and pleasant, without any clashing fragrances.

As they got to the back door, Makoto handed one of the mugs to Rin.  Smiling, he opened it and headed out into his backyard, gesturing for Rin to follow him.

Holding the mug carefully, Rin stepped out into the yard, eyes widening.  In the daylight, the flowers were more beautiful than he could have realized last night.  The colors were vibrant and he found himself unable to really focus on just one spot in the garden.

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered, turning his gaze to Makoto in an attempt not to be blinded by how colorful the garden was.  However, the smile that Makoto gave him felt like it was even brighter than the garden.  Rin’s heart fluttered and he averted his gaze once more, staring down into his mug of tea.  Now was definitely not the time to get butterflies in his stomach.  He barely knew the guy!

“You can sit down if you want.  I… don’t know how you’ll react,” Makoto said, laughing softly.  “Everyone has a different reaction to magic.”

“Ah, sure.”  Sitting down on the bench, Rin took a sip from his mug before setting it down beside him.  He was still doubtful that this magic thing was real but he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I’m going to set up the wards again.  I should have last night, because it wore off yesterday but I completely forgot.”  As if that was enough of an explanation, Makoto turned away from him.  He raised his hands as he faced the fence, murmuring something under his breath.

For a moment, Rin thought that Makoto was just making things up because nothing was happening.  He looked around, trying to notice something different.  Opening his mouth, he was about to ask Makoto what exactly he had done when he noticed a shimmer in the air above the fence.

Getting up, Rin headed over to it, pushing through a gap between the flowers.  He lifted a hand and tried to put it over the fence, only to hit an invisible barrier.  It tingled against his skin and when he pulled his hand away, he could still feel the thrum of energy in his fingers.

“Holy shit,” he breathed, turning to look at Makoto.  “You were telling the truth.”

Makoto laughed and nodded.  “I know it can be hard to accept but I wanted to show you.  I don’t want you to be scared of me after what happened last night.”

“Scared?  I could never be scared of you, Makoto.  You’re way too nice,” Rin said, feeling a smile tug at his lips.  “But why do you set up a barrier?  And why is your garden so… large?  It looks normal from outside.”

“I started setting up barriers because cats would wander in here and end up getting stuck in the garden.  As for why it’s so big, I used an extension spell.  It makes things bigger on the inside while keeping the same appearance on the outside.  It’s useful to be able to grow more things.”

“But why do you even need a garden so big?  You grow way more food than you could ever use yourself.  Isn’t that a waste?” Rin asked, moving away from the fence and walking over to Makoto.

Makoto laughed again.  “My friend owns a restaurant, so I provide all his fresh produce for him.  The rest I use for myself or give to other witches who aren’t as adept with plant magic.  Same with the herbs I have, both out here and inside.  Many witches good at potions need them, so I provide them.  The flowers can be used for that too, but those are mostly for myself.  I like how they look.”  He smiled and ran his fingers over a drooping flower.  The wilted petals straightened out and brightened up in color as the flower revived itself.

Rin watched, amazed and still in awe over the fact that his neighbor was a witch that seemed to use his powers to grow food for others.  “But why is everything so large?  Shouldn’t you need fewer plants because everything is so big?”

“Ah, that, um,” Makoto mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, “That’s because I’m still learning, actually.  I’m really not that great at magic and I’m the best with plants, so I’m still trying to figure out how much magic to put into the plants.  I have so many because it lets me practice.”  A faint blush colored his cheeks as he spoke, avoiding Rin’s eyes.

Starting to laugh, Rin said, “It’s okay, Makoto!  Honestly, this magic stuff seems complicated enough to me, so I think you’re doing great.  I really like your flowers.”

Makoto seemed to brighten up at that, his look of embarrassment turning into one of joy as he grinned at Rin.  “You like the flowers?  What are your favorites?”

“I like roses a lot but my favorites are cherry blossoms.  Though they only bloom once a year,” Rin said, returning Makoto’s grin.

“Well, I could grow a tree for you?  I’m sure I could eventually figure out how to always keep it in bloom.”  Still smiling, Makoto moved closer to Rin as he spoke.  “It’d be nice to have company, too.”

Rin could feel a blush creeping across his face and he tried to find somewhere else to look but he found himself unable to stop staring into Makoto’s eyes.  “I… You’d do that for me?  Why?”

Shrugging a bit, Makoto simply smiled.  “I just think it would be nice to have a friend in the neighborhood and I’d like to get to know you better.  If that’s okay with you, that is!  I don’t wanna push anything on you!”  Makoto seemed to get as flustered as Rin felt and the two of them broke eye contact, looking off in different directions.

“I’d really like that, actually.  Especially if it means getting to see giant cherry blossoms,” Rin said, giving Makoto a cheeky grin despite still blushing brightly.

Makoto relaxed and smiled back.  “I’m glad.  I think we’re really going to get along, Rin.  I’d love to teach you more about magic, if you’d like!”

With another grin, Rin nudged Makoto gently.  “I’d like that.  It’s not every day you break into a witch’s yard and don’t get turned into a toad, after all.”

“We don’t do that, Rin!” Makoto whined, though he did start laughing after a moment.  “I’m glad you broke into my yard.  I really am.”


End file.
